The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1887-01-29

dation of rough stones, which was once occu-
pied as u land office by General Rufus Putnam,
the founder of Ohio, and the man to whose
memory the people of tho five great States
that were carved from the Northwest Territory
should raise q proud and colossal monument.
General Putnam was remarkable man. He
has been confounded in the popular mind with
his cousin, General Israel Putnam, who had
the adventure in the VOLTS den, and who ac-
Quirod good deal of notoriety through that
incident. General Rufus Putnam, the man
who first conceived the idea of establishing
Territory in what was then called the unknown
empire of the West. seems to have been man
OF lar greater resources and ability. If we are
to Judge by results. he certainly has accom-
plished vast deal more than the warmest
partisan of General Israel Putnam could hope
in Justice to claim for him The war OF the
Revolution developed good many strong, reso-
lutte and patriotic men, but not one of them
after the war did mere for the future OF this
country than Rufus Putnam
He was born in Massachusetts, and enioyed
no early advantages. His father died when he
was but little more than seven years of age,
and shortly after that time he was taken to
live with step-father. who was un illitcrate
man and who despised books and learning. He
refused to send Rufus to school, and denied
him the privilege of studying at home. His
innate aspirations were coldly frowned upon
and every effort that he put forth for the acqui-
sition of knowledge was ridiculed without
mercy. His stcp-fnther was an inn-keeper.
and Rufus sometimes earned a few pennies by
looking after the horses. These earnings he
invested in an old gun, with which he killed
game for the market The proceeds of these
sales purchased spelling book and an arith-
metic; but obstacles were still thrown in his
way. He was not allowed to have candle for
use in the long winter evenings:, and his as
sociates never forgot to ridicue him: but the
thirst for knowledge was strong within him
into p-if finl ht,f q,
barriers that We're thrown about him. He
struggled on in pathetic way, and in later
years, writing of his early life, he said after
was nine years old only went to school three
weeks in all. He was essentially IL selfmade
man. in Ills sixteenth year he was apprenticed
TO Daniel Matthews, oil Brool,feld to learn the
trade of millwright. by him." Rufus Put
nam says, my education was as much neg.
lcctcd as by my stcp-iather except that he did
not deny the use of light for study in winter
evenings. l turned my attention chiefly to
arithmetic, geography and history had been
as much engaged in learning to write we'll |
with spelling and grammar, might have been
much better qualified to fulfill the duties of
the succeeding scenes of life which, in Provi-
deacc, l have been called upon to pass
through. At nineteen, u love of military glory
possessed him, and he became o soldier in the
French ana Indian Wars of 1865. In 1713 he
made an expedition TO Florida. Two years
later he had taken up his sword again in behalf |
of liberty. He entered the Continental Army |
as a Lieutenant-Colonel of regiment that was
stationed at Roxbury, and he was destined to |
play an important part in the memorable siege |
OF Boston. After the battle of Charlestown |
June II, our troops were in an exposed cond. |
tion. There We're no Notifications to protect |
the town, and 1t was decided that some kind of |
defense should be commenced. An engineer |
VINO could plan the works and superntend their |
erection was looked for, and none appeared 1t |
ri rfn1,, ,.itI,t 4,
uation of the Colonies that they were without |
men skilled in the science of war. There were |
no military schools in this country and there |
had been no great wars.
The strong character and fine natural abilities |
OF Colonel Putnam had impressed themselves
upon his associates, and it was learned that he |
had done some little work upon Notifications
under British engineers during the French and |
Indian war, and he was suggested US the man |
Tor the emergency. He said that he had never
read work on fortihcations, and that he was
not qualified to undertake the important work
that should be done but it was no time for ex-
cuses, and, rs he was known to be patriotic |
man, the task was assigned him. He set to work |
and traced lines in front of Roxbury toward |
Boston. and while he was engaged in this Cen |
erals Washington and Lee examined the works |
and expressed their cordial approval General |
Washington declared that Putnam's works were |
much better constructed than those OF the Brit |
ish, that were erected by skilled engineers on |
the Cambridge side. He says in his memoir: |
"In the course of this campaign / surveyed and |
delineated the courses, distances and relative |
situations OF the enemy's works in Boston and |
Charlestown with our own in Cambridge and |
Roxbury." In the winter OF 1716 he performed |
one OF the most memorable feats OF the war; |
The condition OF the Continental army was |
deplorable. Men were without shelter, food |
or clothes, and il became necessary to force the |
British TO evacuate Boston. After much anx- |
ious thought and careful examination it was |
determined II possible, to take possession OF |
Dorchester Heights and erect Notifications that |
would command both city and harbor. The |
British would then be compelled either to fight |
or go. 1t was dangerous and difficult, and the |
night OF March was selected for the attempt
Colonel Putnam made his arrangements with |
great exactness. Each man knew Just where |